World Vegetable Center Eastern and Southern Africa Yield response & economic performance of participatory evaluated elite vegetable cultivars within intensified farming systems in selected locale of Tanzania BY: Philipo Joseph Lukumay1, Victor Afari-Sefa1, Justus Ochieng1 and Inviolate Dominick1 World Vegetable Center Eastern and Southern Africa P.O. Box 10, Duluti, Arusha, TANZANIA

Introduction Food and Nutrition Security has hit international spotlight in recent times due to: Unstable availability and access of adequate amount of safer and diverse food Own food production and economic ability doesn’t seems to support healthy consumption: quantity & quality Low production per unit area translates into food and nutrition insecurity and low income diversification. This emanate from among other things from poor farming practices Need for participatory research on best-bet technologies as proposed by AR Africa RISING project through sustainable intensified farming systems support. Participatory research that enable the demonstration of best bet technology packages that sufficiently help improve food, nutrition, and income security, particularly for women and children, while conserving the natural resource base

Methodology Multilocational Participatory Research Demonstration Trials Location: Babati; four villages; Matufa (1000-1050 masl) Semi arid lowland, Galapo (1300 masl) between semi arid lowland and Semi humid upland, Bermi and Seloto (1500-1700masl) semi humid upland Demonstration Plots Design; RCBD with 2 research treatments and the control 1st Research Treatment=High input combination (Multiple GAPs) 2nd Research Treatment=Low input combination (Effect of Health Seedlings) 3rd Control=Farmers business as usual scenario Three crops=Tomato, African eggplant and Amaranths Period, two annual production season( 3 season in progress) in in 2014 &2015, set between fall and winter Data analysis: One Way ANOVA for yield figures- Post Hoc Turkey HSD for individual treatment effect Gross Profit Margin and Discounted Benefit Cost Ratio for Profitability analysis

Randomized Complete Block Design for Trials in Four Villages Tomato 7.5m 1 m 6 m Tr1 Tr2 Control Amaranthus African eggplant

Main Findings Yield figures in t/ha Average Yield (t/ha) & Profitability Figures ($/ha) Potential Yield1 Farm Av. Yield2 Trt 1 (a) Trt 2 (b) Control (c) Total ANOVA F-test (a≠b≠c) ∆Yield % Pre-harvest Losses Tomato (Tengeru 2010) 40-90 13.27 64.74 (5.39) 36.05 (4.09) 28.28 (3.92) 43.02 (3.04) 17.364*** 85 4.21 GM ($/ha) (BCR) 18,300 (8.5) 9,660 (5.6) 7,900 (5.5) African eggplant (Tengeru white) 3.79 53.97 (4.66) 32.42 (3.29) 23.04 (1.72) 36.71 (2.41) 24.316*** 84 4.03 9,600 (4.5) 5,500 (3.5) 3800 (3.4) Amaranth (Madiira I) 40-80 4.50 14.91 (2.97) 10.00 (2.05) 8.46 (1.94) 11.12 (1.38) .137ns 58 45.60 150 (0.24) -160 (0.09) -250 (0.01) Note: In parenthesis are Std. errors for yields and Benefit Cost Ratio(BCR) for Profitability analysis Asterisk denote significance at the *** p<0.01 ** p<0.05 and *p< 0.1 level; ns=not significant 1 Potential Yield figures from Variety Release; TOSCI 2 Farm average yield figures according to 2007/08 Agriculture Sample Census (2012)

Discussion The yield gaps between treatments shows that, the effect of high input combination (good agricultural practices) to the increase in yields were significant (p<0.001) for Tomato from 28.28t/ha to 64.74 t/ha and African eggplant 23.71t/ha to 53.97t/ha, account to the increment of 36.5t/ha and 30.9t/ha over the control respectively (>80%) The yield gaps for amaranths(leaves) were insignificant Quantity harvested of 8.12t/ha for business as usual scenario compared to 14.91t/ha were an indication of higher preharvest losses triggered by low market demand during the season Preharvest losses were significantly higher (P<0.001) for high input combination than for the business as usual scenario, suggesting that amaranths agree with the technology only that farmers were ready to harvest but constrained by markets There is the high yield gap between Current yield figures and high input combination effect (> 50t/ha difference) for tomato& African eggplant Current yield figures and the trial control of 14.75 t/ha, 19.25t/ha and 3.96t/ha for tomato, African eggplant and amaranths respectively High input combination Higher profit margins of $18,300/ha & $9,600/ha for Tomato & African eggplant respectively Benefit Cost Ratio for tomato and African eggplant were also higher at 8.5 and 4.5 respectively. Gross profit margin and BCR for Amaranths were fairly low at $150/ha and 0.24 respectively produce marketing challenges in rainy seasons clearly portraying a high losses prior harvest of up to 45.60t/ha for high input combination, equivalent to $10,850/ha loss

Recommendations Best technologies combination improved plant vigor, earlier flowering and fruiting, minimized pesticide usage, longer harvesting duration and ultimately higher yield viz: ancillary vegetable farming practices, good agronomic practices and integrated pest management led to >80% increase in yield and higher profit margins thus translates into food and nutrition security and income diversification Proper use of organic and inorganic fertilizer, enrich the soil, improved soil texture and structure Minimized pesticide usage to 0.12t/ha from 0.45t/ha & thus benefit to the environment Over 30% of the yield potential unexploited for the three vegetables crops only due to use of poor quality seeds extracted from previous harvests result into unhealthy seedlings-lead poor plant vigor & low yield Therefore, for each individual technology to work well, interdependency between them and their best combinations are highly recommended

Thank You